Berlin B&B Wants To Host Events

BERLIN — Bed and Breakfasts in Berlin might become a lot more than a place to sleep and grab an omelet if a proposal that received a favorable recommendation from the Planning Commission this week eventually becomes law.

Representing the new Waystead Inn, located on Harrison Avenue, attorney Mark Cropper put forth an application to expand the activities that would be acceptable. As the code currently stands, the only allowed uses for a Bed and Breakfast are for sleeping and serving a morning meal.

According to Cropper, existing Bed and Breakfast regulations in Berlin are “very limited and very restricted in what you can and cannot do.”

Under Cropper’s proposal, Bed and Breakfasts with more than an acre of land would be able to request permission from the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) to host events like weddings, birthday parties, wine tastings, and other activities not normally permitted.

“It would be judged on a case-by-case basis,” said Cropper. “We just want to give them that flexibility is all.”

Planning Commission Chair Newt Chandler seemed surprised by the stringency of the current regulations.

“All Bed and Breakfasts can do right now is have them spend the night and then feed them breakfast?” he asked Cropper.

Cropper confirmed that was the case and reiterated that “as it is right now, we can’t even make [an activities] request to the BZA.”

Commissioner Ron Cascio expressed concerns over the one-acre minimum lot size in the application.
“I think that there could be viable properties under an acre,” he said.
Cropper explained that he had no objection if the commission wished to lower the limit.
“I like the size limit myself,” said Chandler.

Chandler pointed out that a lot of the activities that this would open up would probably not be a good fit for smaller Bed and Breakfasts without enough land to sufficiently separate them from their neighbors.

Planning and Zoning Director Chuck Ward pointed out that, if the commission gives a favorable rating to Cropper’s application, it still has to go through the Mayor and Council. And even after that, approval for special events will have to be granted by the BZA.

“For the application, it’s basically a three-step process anyway,” he said.
The commission voted unanimously to give the proposal a favorable recommendation.

Featured Stories

OCEAN CITY — The fate of an iconic building on the east side of the Boardwalk is hanging in the balance this week with the heirs to the property preparing an appeal and the city claiming the site for the public good. Situated on the east side of the Boardwalk at South Division Street, the… Read more »

BERLIN – Plans for a bike path along the railroad tracks in Berlin are expected to move forward following approval of a design proposal. On Monday the Berlin Town Council approved a design and engineering proposal for the Berlin Bikeways Project from Davis, Bowen & Friedel (DBF). Dave Engelhart, the town’s planning director, said all… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – Surfers Healing returned to the beaches of Ocean City this week for a day-long surfing camp that gives children with autism and their families a sense of support and community. On Wednesday, 200 children with autism gathered in front of the Castle in the Sand Hotel where they were given the opportunity… Read more »

OCEAN CITY — An uptown Ocean City property with a tragic past will be redeveloped with a mixed-use commercial and residential project after resort planners this week approved the site plan for the long-awaited redevelopment. The Planning Commission on Tuesday approved a site plan for an addition to the UpTown Center along the west side… Read more »